The Okyenhene requested the president to accept the outcome of the petition challenging his election in 2012

The Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin, is demanding an unqualified apology from National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives in the Eastern Region over what he considers a disparaging statement they made against his person.

The Okyenhene, who led members of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs to the Flagstaff House on Tuesday to call on President John Mahama, challenged the president to call his supporters to order when they insult their opponents.

He also asked the president to assure Ghanaians that he will accept the outcome of the election petition filed by three leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including its flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo, challenging the 2012 presidential results.

NDC executives from his region then issued a statement calling his comments “hypocritical.”

The statement also labeled the Okyenhene’s visit to the Flagstaff House “politically sponsored” and accused him of doing the NPP’s bidding.

Kwame Acheampong Boateng, lawyer for the Okyenhene, told Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Top Story Thursday that the statement was “very unfortunate” and wondered what the “political motivation or ulterior motive” behind the chief’s request could have been.

He therefore described the executives’ statement as “inflammatory,” adding that it “has the potential to expose the Okyenhene to hatred.”

Mr Acheampong Boateng said the court case is of national importance and that the Okyenhene would therefore be “acting hypocritically” if he did not touch on it. Moreover, he remarked that the chiefs were equally “satisfied” with the president’s “excellent response” to the issues they raised.

He therefore wants the group to withdraw its statement and render an unqualified apology to the Okyenhene.

He also contradicted an earlier statement by Vice President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs Nana Osei Nyarko III who told Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday that the chiefs went to the Flagstaff House of their own “volition.” According to Mr Acheampong Boateng, the presidency invited the chiefs.

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of the NDC in the Eastern Region Matthew Doe stated on Top Story that the executives carefully examined the Okyenhene’s comments and took exception to them because they believe them to have a political undertone.

He explained that it was difficult for them to accept the fact that the Okyenhene chose to discuss the case with President Mahama before addressing the petitioners, especially Nana Akufo-Addo, whom Mr Doe preferred to refer to as the Okyenhene’s son because they both hail from the same community.

“They say charity begins at home so we were expecting that the same piece of advice that he was giving to the presidency should have gone to his son, even to his son first.”

Mr Doe criticised the Okyenhene for trying to meddle in politics when he met the president instead of addressing an unfortunate incident that nearly disrupted the recently held parliamentary elections in his area.

He insisted that the executives would not withdraw the statement that the Okyenhene considered disparaging.

But Mr Acheampong Boateng warned that if the group failed to apologize, they would take the matter to the party hierarchy to ask them to condemn the statement and call the executives to order.

If those avenues fail, he continued, “we will advise ourselves on it when it becomes necessary.”